Investigators didn't have a DNA match to link a suspect, but a few months ago, scientists used specialized computer software program to compare the DNA sample against a database that stores DNA records of 800,000 Ohio offenders.

The results revealed an intriguing family connection — a shared DNA profile.

"There was a brother who had been convicted of a completely unrelated crime, so his DNA was already in the database," Yost said.

After that, an extensive family tree investigation was launched, and police zeroed in on Legg, who had been a possible suspect in a 1997 rape of a 17-year-old girl in Westfield Township but wasn't prosecuted.

Armed with the new familial information, Medina County detectives flew to Arizona and obtained a DNA swab from Legg.

BCI did further testing and got a match that linked Legg to not only the 1997 rape but also to four unsolved homicides — three in Ohio and one in Illinois.